Operator...can you connect me?
Sometimes God whispers to us. Sometimes He shouts at us. But usually, it's just a normal, conversational tone...like today.
The weekend is over and it's back to the grind. At my house, that means hubby heads to Chicago again for a couple of days. I took our youngest to school and dropped him off. When I returned, Randy was dressed and ready to go, sitting at the dining room table with his laptop already fired up, tapping away at the keyboard. I served up his favorite: eggs and toast with a 'go-cup' of coffee.
I'm a multi-tasker. I recently learned that multi-tasking is a fallacy. We can't really do more than one thing at a time effectively. Maybe that's true...then I just do lots of different things, one after another with no stopping in between. While the eggs were frying, and the bread was toasting, I unload the dishwasher. Flip the eggs. Butter the toast. Load the dirty dishes. Serve the breakfast. Move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.
I knew I had a couple more loads of laundry waiting, so I hurried to our bedroom while my eggs were frying, nearly tripping over my husband's suitcase trying to hustle so my eggs didn't get rubbery. I hate rubbery eggs. Hmmm. Why is his suitcase in here? Normally he takes it to the back door when he leaves our room.
I stuff the laundry in the washer. Soap...softener...eggs! Oh well, I don't like runny yolks anyway. Finally, after already eating my toast (because cold toast is yucky) I am able to sit down at the table across from my preoccupied husband and enjoy my eggs. Without looking up from his laptop he reminds me that I'll need to water the flowers and feed the dogs because he didn't have time. He has to leave in 10 minutes.
I rinsed my plate and headed outside to three pitifully sad looking dogs. I chatted with them while I filled their bowls. From the open dining room window I hear Randy, suddenly sounding hurried, "I've gotta go, Babe!" So I rush inside to get my good-bye kiss and off he goes. I return to my slobbery dogs and proceed with my morning chores. As Randy backs out of the garage, he waves to me.
It's a gorgeous morning and I'm admiring my flowers and the carefully placed mulch that we worked on last Friday. Everything is looking good...graduation open house this weekend...lots to do...my mind starts rolling through the 'honey-do' list that Randy prepared for me. I checked the time. I had just a couple minutes until I needed to head in town to meet my sister for breakfast.
I'm not sure why...well, in hind-sight I know why...but something (God) prompted me to walk into our bedroom. Uh oh.
I eventually met up with him and he was still talking into his headset as I handed him the bag, silently pecked his cheek and hopped back in my car. He can thank me later. :)
When am I going to learn to listen??? How many times does God say things just like this to me, wanting to save me time and frustration in my day? That plain, fatherly voice... no choir of angels. No roll of thunder. Just a simple statement. And trust me when I say, this isn't the first time this has happened; though I sincerely wish I could say it would be the last.
My best friend said to me, not long ago, "I wish I could hear God talk to me like that." I thought everyone could hear Him. I don't remember when I started hearing His voice, but I do know when I've gone too long without hearing it.
In the Old Testament, before the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God spoke in audible tones. Apparently He did a lot of shouting. Maybe the people were hard of hearing back then...just take a look at Psalm 29: 3-9 to see how David describes the voice of God.
Those of us who are "in Christ Jesus" have the Holy Spirit in us. I picture the Holy Spirit to be like the
old-fashioned telephone operators who picked up one cable and plugged it in to the person you asked to speak to. The only difference is that the Spirit can only connect us to
God's hotline.
The hardest part of hearing from God seems to be the ability to discern whether it's coming from Him or from other sources. When it's something big, like a job offer or a relationship, asking yourself if what you're hearing is in line with God's word will help. He cannot speak something to you that is in direct opposition to his word. If you're hearing a voice that is telling you to divorce your husband - that's not God. Ask a spiritual mentor to pray with you about it. And you can ask God to repeat himself.
There's a story in the Old Testament about a man named Gideon (Judges 6) who had very much the same problem of discerning the voice of God. To be sure that what he thought he heard was really what he heard, he made a 'deal' with God. It sort of goes like this: Ok God, I think I heard you say that you'll save Israel by my hand...but just to be sure, I'm going to put the wool fleece on the ground. In the morning if there is dew ONLY on the fleece and the ground is dry, then I'll know for sure...So guess what, in the morning, Gideon was able to wring out a whole bowl full of water from the fleece and the ground was dry.
But Gideon, who is a lot like you and me, says, ummm, God...please don't get mad at me but can we try this one more time to be sure, except this time make the ground wet and the fleece dry? God is so patient and loving. He played along. And Gideon was finally convinced. So if you've ever heard someone talk about 'fleecing God', that's what they're referring to.
I had a friend who did sort of the same thing. She was considering changing jobs and her 'deal' with God was that if she was supposed to take the job, they would offer her x amount of money. When they called her with an official offer, it was $1,000 less per year that what she had discussed with God. But she rationalized it in her mind and took the job anyway. Guess what...she was miserable there and only stayed a few months.
When it comes to the mundane, everyday little things, like I experienced this morning, those things come from being in an intimate relationship with God. Like when a close friend calls, even without caller I.D., you know immediately who it is by the sound of their voice. That's how it is with God. Enough times of hearing it and you will begin to recognize it more quickly. God loves us and is concerned with the details of life, so don't be surprised when He offers to help.
The weekend is over and it's back to the grind. At my house, that means hubby heads to Chicago again for a couple of days. I took our youngest to school and dropped him off. When I returned, Randy was dressed and ready to go, sitting at the dining room table with his laptop already fired up, tapping away at the keyboard. I served up his favorite: eggs and toast with a 'go-cup' of coffee.
I'm a multi-tasker. I recently learned that multi-tasking is a fallacy. We can't really do more than one thing at a time effectively. Maybe that's true...then I just do lots of different things, one after another with no stopping in between. While the eggs were frying, and the bread was toasting, I unload the dishwasher. Flip the eggs. Butter the toast. Load the dirty dishes. Serve the breakfast. Move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.
I knew I had a couple more loads of laundry waiting, so I hurried to our bedroom while my eggs were frying, nearly tripping over my husband's suitcase trying to hustle so my eggs didn't get rubbery. I hate rubbery eggs. Hmmm. Why is his suitcase in here? Normally he takes it to the back door when he leaves our room.
Surely he wouldn't forget that suitcase...that's the biggest thing he has to take to the car. He'll remember it as he heads for the door. Besides, most times I remind him of something, I get that "I know," in the tone that is really saying What? Do you think I would really forget that??"He's going to forget that suitcase."
I stuff the laundry in the washer. Soap...softener...eggs! Oh well, I don't like runny yolks anyway. Finally, after already eating my toast (because cold toast is yucky) I am able to sit down at the table across from my preoccupied husband and enjoy my eggs. Without looking up from his laptop he reminds me that I'll need to water the flowers and feed the dogs because he didn't have time. He has to leave in 10 minutes.
I rinsed my plate and headed outside to three pitifully sad looking dogs. I chatted with them while I filled their bowls. From the open dining room window I hear Randy, suddenly sounding hurried, "I've gotta go, Babe!" So I rush inside to get my good-bye kiss and off he goes. I return to my slobbery dogs and proceed with my morning chores. As Randy backs out of the garage, he waves to me.
It's a gorgeous morning and I'm admiring my flowers and the carefully placed mulch that we worked on last Friday. Everything is looking good...graduation open house this weekend...lots to do...my mind starts rolling through the 'honey-do' list that Randy prepared for me. I checked the time. I had just a couple minutes until I needed to head in town to meet my sister for breakfast.
I'm not sure why...well, in hind-sight I know why...but something (God) prompted me to walk into our bedroom. Uh oh.
"I told you he'd forget that suitcase." I could almost hear God chuckling.I grabbed the suitcase and ran for the door. Threw the suitcase in the backseat and headed off in the same direction Randy had gone a few minutes earlier. It took three tries to get him to answer his phone. He said, "I'm on the phone with my boss! What's up??"
I eventually met up with him and he was still talking into his headset as I handed him the bag, silently pecked his cheek and hopped back in my car. He can thank me later. :)
When am I going to learn to listen??? How many times does God say things just like this to me, wanting to save me time and frustration in my day? That plain, fatherly voice... no choir of angels. No roll of thunder. Just a simple statement. And trust me when I say, this isn't the first time this has happened; though I sincerely wish I could say it would be the last.
My best friend said to me, not long ago, "I wish I could hear God talk to me like that." I thought everyone could hear Him. I don't remember when I started hearing His voice, but I do know when I've gone too long without hearing it.
In the Old Testament, before the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God spoke in audible tones. Apparently He did a lot of shouting. Maybe the people were hard of hearing back then...just take a look at Psalm 29: 3-9 to see how David describes the voice of God.
Those of us who are "in Christ Jesus" have the Holy Spirit in us. I picture the Holy Spirit to be like the old-fashioned telephone operators who picked up one cable and plugged it in to the person you asked to speak to. The only difference is that the Spirit can only connect us to
God's hotline.
The hardest part of hearing from God seems to be the ability to discern whether it's coming from Him or from other sources. When it's something big, like a job offer or a relationship, asking yourself if what you're hearing is in line with God's word will help. He cannot speak something to you that is in direct opposition to his word. If you're hearing a voice that is telling you to divorce your husband - that's not God. Ask a spiritual mentor to pray with you about it. And you can ask God to repeat himself.
There's a story in the Old Testament about a man named Gideon (Judges 6) who had very much the same problem of discerning the voice of God. To be sure that what he thought he heard was really what he heard, he made a 'deal' with God. It sort of goes like this: Ok God, I think I heard you say that you'll save Israel by my hand...but just to be sure, I'm going to put the wool fleece on the ground. In the morning if there is dew ONLY on the fleece and the ground is dry, then I'll know for sure...So guess what, in the morning, Gideon was able to wring out a whole bowl full of water from the fleece and the ground was dry.
But Gideon, who is a lot like you and me, says, ummm, God...please don't get mad at me but can we try this one more time to be sure, except this time make the ground wet and the fleece dry? God is so patient and loving. He played along. And Gideon was finally convinced. So if you've ever heard someone talk about 'fleecing God', that's what they're referring to.
I had a friend who did sort of the same thing. She was considering changing jobs and her 'deal' with God was that if she was supposed to take the job, they would offer her x amount of money. When they called her with an official offer, it was $1,000 less per year that what she had discussed with God. But she rationalized it in her mind and took the job anyway. Guess what...she was miserable there and only stayed a few months.
When it comes to the mundane, everyday little things, like I experienced this morning, those things come from being in an intimate relationship with God. Like when a close friend calls, even without caller I.D., you know immediately who it is by the sound of their voice. That's how it is with God. Enough times of hearing it and you will begin to recognize it more quickly. God loves us and is concerned with the details of life, so don't be surprised when He offers to help.
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